My skin care secrets: an interview with me from Beautiful with Brains

Below is a repost interview with Beautiful with Brains (click here to view the original). Read on – I am sharing all my succulent skin care gossip to help you on your journey through clear skin!

Are there acne?

I do not know what is worse. Angry red silty acne that covers your face and deprives you of self-esteem or harsh procedures that make your skin as dry as sandpaper — and cause new acne.

Ugh. Is there no way to get rid of acne naturally?

Yes. Just ask Tracy Raftle. Suffering from acne since she was a teenager, Tracy tried all the usual – read harsh – methods to get rid of it. But they only seemed to aggravate the situation.

Only when she went naturally to clear her acne inside and out, did Tracy defeat her acne and find the clean skin she had always dreamed of.

Now Tracey has the task of helping women do the same so that they can say goodbye to acne, find joy, and start rocking the life they are meant for.

Her blog The Love Vitamin is a treasure trove of natural acne products, and the Naturally Clear Skin Academy gives you access to all of the e-books, programs, and resources that Tracy has created to give you beautiful, naturally clean skin.

In this interview, Tracy talks about her skin care routine, her main skin care tips and lifestyle habits that made her acne-free:

When did you become interested in skin care?

I became interested in skin care in 2010, when I had a strong acne rash. Of course, I was completely devastated and turned to complex treatment of acne and natural skin care.

What is your skin care procedure?

He is very minimalistic and gentle with a strong focus on hydration. I learned early that the more aggressive or drier the routine, the worse the results. I actually just wash my face twice a day with water (I wear a little so as not to do makeup), and then I have three steps to my moisturizing procedure.

If you could only use 3 skin care products for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Since I have three steps to moistening, these are the three products / steps I would choose to use for the rest of my life. They are:

While my face is still wet from washing, I use a serum with vitamin C (a form of SAP / sodium ascorbyl phosphate). In particular, I use a product called “All Natural Advice – Anti-Aging Vitamin C”. Please note that SAP is not only great for anti-aging, but also very powerful against acne too.

Immediately after applying the serum with vitamin C, I use a homemade mixture of high-quality aloe vera gel and glycerin. This is my moisturizing step for making moisture. My skin loves it. It has never been as good as after I started using glycerin in my routine.

Finish it with a few drops of a mixture of homemade oil and essential oil to seal all moisture and add nutrients. There are many things in my mix, but they are not completely corrected. I play with it. But now it contains argan oil, Tamanu oil, red raspberry seed oil and essential oils: frankincense, lavender, myrrh, and, I think, immortelle.

My routine has changed a lot over the years, but I really think I can stick to this basic format for the rest of my life (and not just because you asked;). My skin feels great.

What are your favorite skincare brands and why?

I really don’t have favorite skincare brands because I’m basically making my own, but these days there are many amazing natural products.

What are your top 3 skin care tips?

Top Skin Care Tips:

Treat your skin with love. This means that you do not use aggressive products that strip and dry the skin. Do not grab it, do not squeeze it and do not torment it. Don't hurt yourself because of how it looks. Give him love, nourishment and meekness, and he will recover and will look his best. Think of it as a metaphor for your life and how you treat yourself and other people. How would you like to be treated? Treat your skin that way.

Moisture – so much moisture! Your skin needs water to function as it should. Without water, pores are blocked, bacteria can penetrate, and facial lines look more pronounced. This is really the key.

Do not worry about it too much and be easier. In fact, you do not need a thousand products and a skin care procedure that takes you two hours. You do not need to feel under the control of skin care.

What skin care procedures did you regularly do?

I do not do regular skin care procedures – too lazy for that 😉

What are your skin care habits that keep your skin in great shape?

I lead a healthy lifestyle to keep my skin in shape, but I do not take it as seriously as before. There used to be so much fear around food and lifestyle – the fear that if I ate something wrong or made a mistake with my routine, my acne went back all the time.

I have done a great job in this area. Now I eat well (mostly whole foods), I try to sleep a lot, play sports and control myself from stress. But now I'm doing these things, and this is not so important. It does not cause me anxiety, as before. For example, I am much more indulgent about my diet, and my skin looks as good as when I was very strict. I am also much happier!

What's in your makeup bag?

A small thing concealer (from Juice Beauty) and mascara. This is about it. Well, I have some random make-up for a strange case, but 99% of the time, little concealer strokes here and there and a bit of mascara are all that I use.

Thank you, Tracy!

For more tips on how to deal with acne in a natural way, visit the Tracy Love Vitamin website or visit its online courses at the Academy of Natural Skin. You can also keep up with her on Facebook and Instagram.